Fayd’Herbe opts to ride Kampala Campari
TOP Cape jockey Bernard Fayd'Herbe has made a significant statement ahead of Saturday's Grade 2 WSB 1900 by opting to ride the Andre Nel-trained Kampala Campari in preference to either of the Justin Snaith-trained pair Magnificent Seven and Made To Conquer.
Snaith said, “Bernard decided not to ride either of them, so maybe that’s a sign that Kampala Campari is a big runner.”
Fayd’Herbe won this race last year on the Snaith-trained Elusive Silva.
The Nel yard have made a deliberate decision to go into the race fresh with Kampala Campari and the five-year-old Querari gelding was looking in fine shape at Summerveld yesterday.
He has the same draw as last year, pole position, but a better run can be expected than his 6,30 length tenth.
He went to the front in that race but was doing a touch too much.
He still had the lead at the 200m mark before being swamped.
Foster
Asistant trainer Byron Foster said, “Corne (Orffer) didn't really know the horse last year. Kamapala Campari was also more aggressive in his racing back then and has now learnt how to race.”
Fayd’Herbe has only race-ridden Kampala Campari once before, a victory over 2 000m at Durbanville last October.
The big bay led at a comfortable gallop that day and stayed on well.
He carries topweight of 60kg on Saturday off a 107 merit rating, which puts him 3kg under sufferance with the best weighted Fresnaye.
This is as opposed to carrying 58kg last year off a 100 merit rating (which put him 4,5kg under sufferance with best weighted Fort Ember).
Foster concluded, "His work has been good.” Kampala Campari is the only runner in the twelve horse field who is not entered in the Vodacom Durban July.
Head Honcho
Meanwhile, Sun Met third-placed Head Honcho has been doing well since arriving at Summerveld in March.
He runs in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1 600m on Saturday and Nel is hoping that will bring him on enough to go straight into the July.
He said, “He seems to run better when his races are spaced widely apart.” Nel said Foster had reported the long-striding fiveyear-old Querari gelding to be “ring rusty” at present.
However, he won his first start this season following a virtually identical layoff of three months and three weeks and that race was over this same 1 600m distance on the equally tight Kenilworth Old Course.